User reviews

The 'godfather of gore' Lucio Fulci is certainly most famous for his gory Zombie flicks, such as "Zombi 2" (1979), "City of the Living Dead" (1980), or "The Beyond" (1980). Great films, of course, but, as far as I am concerned, his less widely known 70s Gialli are at least as memorable. Especially his 1972 masterpiece "Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino" aka. "Don't Torture a Duckling", easily Fulci's greatest film, ranges among the greatest Italian Horror films ever made, and outshines all his Zombie flicks in a heartbeat. This earlier Giallo-outing by Fulci, "Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna" aka. "Lizard In A Woman's Skin" (1971) is doubtlessly also a very intense, beautiful and creepy Giallo that impresses with a wonderfully uncanny, fever-dream-like atmosphere and a wonderful Florinda Bolkan in the lead. Yet I do not fully share the enthusiasm of some of my fellow Giallo-lovers, many of whom even seem to regard this as Fulci's best. While "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is doubtlessly highly atmospheric and furthermore has an ingeniously convoluted plot, it does have its lengths, and, even in regards of atmosphere, it cannot possibly compete with "Don't Torture a Duckling", in my opinion.

Tormented by bizarre lesbian dreams about her seductive neighbor (Anita Strindberg), the respectable lawyer's wife Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) regularly visits a psychotherapist. One day, Carol tells the psychotherapist about a dream in which she murders the neighbor. Shortly thereafter, the neighbor is actually murdered, in the exact same manner that Carol has dreamt of... "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is a Giallo that delivers in almost all regards. It has a convoluted plot and certainly isn't easy to predict. The cinematography is great, and the generally creepy, dream-like atmosphere is intensified by another ingenious score composed by maestro Ennio Morricone (the orchestra is conducted by another maestro, Bruno Nicolai). The film has a great ensemble-cast, especially Florinda Bolkan is brilliant in the lead. Bolkan is very beautiful and a great actress, and her performance here is just great. Anita Strindberg is mysterious and seductive in her role. The rest of the cast includes prolific characters such as Jean Sorel (as Carol's husband), Leo Genn (as her father), and Alberto De Mendoza (as one of the investigating police inspectors). Even though there are only few killings for Giallo-standards, the film has some very gory scenes and genuine shock-sequences. The film is very suspenseful, but, as mentioned above, it is partly a bit confused and has its lengths in-between. All in all, this is a very good film, but I personally wouldn't call it Fulci's best. That title doubtlessly goes to the masterpiece "Don't Torture A Duckling", but the two films can hardly be compared due to the very different theme, style and setting. If there is one film I would compare "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" with, it is probably Sergio Martino's underrated "Tutti I Colori Del Buio" (aka. "All Colors of the Dark", 1972), due to the psychedelic atmosphere and the confused female protagonist (though I personally preferred Martino's film). "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" provides a wonderful 70s feeling, with hippie-characters, orgies etc. Overall, "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is highly recommended to all Giallo-lovers, particularly those who appreciate a psychedelic atmosphere. My rating: 7.5/10

Even though Lucio Fulci's name is usually uttered in the same breath as those of Mario Bava and Dario Argento in "who's the best Italian horror director?" discussions, he's just as likely to be dismissed as an incompetent hack that couldn't direct traffic. "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin", like the rest of his gialli efforts from the 70's is solid proof of the opposite. Unlike other genre efforts that leave the viewer baffled with ludicrous plot twists and impossible endings, "Lizard...", convoluted as it may be, ranks among the most solid crime mysteries the Italian scene produced.

Of course that doesn't mean the final 20 minutes aren't bound to give you a headache as the plot unfolds its myriad twists and turns. Every character is a suspect. In turns Carrol, her husband, two hippies, Carrol's step daughter and her father. Yet all the loose ends are tied very neatly in the end. Beautifully staged gore, great cinematography and hot European babes shedding their clothes are other genre staples and "Lizard.." doesn't dissappoint, even though it's gore-lite. It certainly doesn't live up to Fulci's rep (a rep not entirely representative of his vast work, spanning many different genres from westerns to crime action and comedies), but I have no problem when the overall quality is so good. Coupled with a languid jazzy score by the maestro, Ennio Morricone, solid performances, intriguing set pieces and delirious dream sequences, Fulci here weaves a beautiful tappestry that will leave no fan of bizarre Italo-horror disappointed. And if anything, it just goes to prove that Fulci was a great director, even if his post New York Ripper catalogue may suggest the opposite.

Apart from the final 20 minutes, where the labyrinthine plot unfolds through remarkable detective work, the first sequence is great. It's Carrol's dream. She's pushing her way through a narrow (train?) corridor full of people, in slo mo, with an anguished look on her face. Suddenly the corridor is full of naked people (also known as hippies). Then she's falling into the void with darkness surrounding her. She lands on a lavish velvet bed, dressed in a grey fur, and makes out with the gorgeous Annita Strindberg. I haven't been thrown off so much by an opening scene since Martino's "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh" (another great sleazy psychedelic opening). The rest of the dream scenes, including the murder, are all dizzying and off-beat.

Overall, this is a must see for giallo fans, Fulci fans that want to discover his other side and all the nay sayers. If possible, try and find the uncut Italian version. It might be full-screen but you get 5 minutes of additional gore and nudity.

A troubled rich woman Carol Hammond played by Florinda Bolkan is suffering from a series of bizarre sexual dreams where she indulges in lesbian activities with her neighbor Julia Durer(Anita Strindberg).Unfortunately one morning after another perverse sex dream culminating in a gory knifing of Julia,Carol is shocked to find that Julia was murdered in her apartment the stormy night before.When all evidence points to Carol being the culprit she must not only investigate the crime but determine what is dream and what is reality."Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is perhaps the most bizarre and puzzling Fulci's giallo.The cinematography by Luigi Kuvellier is splendid with some gorgeous visuals and the dream scenes are appropriately psychedelic.The eviscerated dogs sequence still shocks unprepared viewers drawn into the murder mystery aspect of the film.8 out of 10.

This rarely seen Fulci offering brings to mind many comparisons with Dario Argento's earlier works.

A woman (Monti) dreams in slow motion of murdering her somewhat libertine neighbor and relates it all back to her therapist; some time later, her neighbor indeed turns up dead, and the details all match those in the dream. The police are called in, many red herrings are thrown in, and as the false resolutions arise, the police procedural turns into an unbelievably convoluted and confusing spiral. Two hippies, whacked out of their minds on LSD, witness the murder but make unreliable witnesses due to their state at the time. The line between reality and hallucination becomes increasingly blurred throughout the whole film, as the mentally unbalanced Monti tries to reconcile her shifts in perception.

The strength of the movie lies in the visuals, however; Fulci's wild camera work helps reinforce the sense of illusion throughout.

Ennio Morricone's score complements the picture's strange mood perfectly.

Fulci found himself in court over an unusually ugly scene of vivisected dogs (during a hallucination); his SFX man Carlo Rambaldi had to bring in the animatronic models of the dogs to get him off the hook.

At times it's a bit slow, but at other times Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a very wild ride indeed.

Yet another early 70's giallo with one of those cryptic zoophilic titles. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a very fine example of this most Italian of exploitation sub-genres and is possibly the best film that Lucio Fulci ever made.

This is an atypical giallo in that it only has one on screen murder to speak of. However, this murder is, to say the least, a memorable affair. It takes place as part of a very trippy and psychedelic dream sequence that features a train populated entirely by naked people, a malevolent giant swan, and grotesque Francis Bacon style dead people in chairs with leaking guts. In the centre of the dream is a lesbian liaison between Florinda Bolkan and Anita Strindberg (who has never looked better than here). The lovers embrace on a king-size bed draped in sheets of a deep red colour. When suddenly Bolkan drives a knife into Strindberg's chest. Her death throws are caught in orgiastic operatic slow motion. This is all accompanied by a creepy Ennio Morricone soundtrack. To put it mildly, this is magnificent stuff. Aside from this opening murder there is a scene later in the film that is not recommended for dog lovers (although seeing that this is an Italian movie I feel I should point out that these aren't real dogs folks, thank God).

Lizard – along with Don't Torture a Duckling - proves that given the right resources, Fulci was more than capable of producing stylish, suspenseful and highly polished films. Like a considerable number of gialli from the early 70's, Lizard benefits from the great pool of talent that was evidently working in the Italian film industry at the time; there seems to have been an abundance of great cinematographers, composers, set designers and wardrobe people, alongside some great directors and appealing actors (not too sure about the writers though!). This film displays a great deal of the aforementioned positives. There is great camera-work, including nice use of split-screen. Excellent photography of the interior shots of Alexandra Palace, that only serves to heighten the suspense of this sequence. The scene where Florinda Bolkan is trapped in a room full of bats by the killer and attempts escape via high window is replicated a few years later in Suspiria – I suspect Dario Argento has seen this movie. We have a standout score from Ennio Morricone. The main theme is a beautiful piece of orchestral music with a laid-back groove featuring breathy vocal accompaniment by the incomparable Edda Del'Orso. If anything, this main theme is criminally underused in the movie, although the rest of the soundtrack is great too, featuring, as it does, some wild psychedelic work outs too – Mondo Morricone! The interior décor and fashions are suitably, and agreeably, examples of early 70's Italian style that we know and love. Acting-wise Florinda Bolkan turns in a great central performance and she is ably supported by an ensemble that is a whose-who of Italian genre cinema of the time.

This is essential stuff for giallo completists. This compares very favourably with the best the genre has to offer. Fulci is most commonly associated with his later zombie splatter flicks but this film alongside it's companion piece Don't Torture a Duckling prove that he was a master of the giallo.

Carol Hammond is having bizarre recurring dreams which she is going to a psychiatrist to find the meaning of. In her subsequent later dreams she finds herself killing her promiscuous nubile neighbor.when the aforementioned neighbor is then found murdered in real life with Carol's penknife found at the scene she becomes a prime suspect. Shriek Show dropped the ball with this one somewhat. With the shorter American "Schizord" version getting a better transfer, while the original Italian version is relegated to the second disc. It doesn't look as good and is in full-screen. It's great to own this at all, but I was somewhat disheartened. That being said, this is one of Fulci's best, if somewhat dated, Giallos It keeps you guessing, and is never boring.

My Grade: B

Anchor Bay 2-DVD set Extras: Disc 1) USA "Schizoid" version; Radio spots; US Trailer; Trailers for "Zombi 2", "City of the Living Dead", "Touch of Death", "House of Clocks", "Sweet House of Horrors", "Demonia", and "Death Trance" Disc 2) 98 minute Italian version, 33 minute "Shedding the Skin" documentary, and Photo Gallery 1 Easter Egg: go to the 'Scene access', Go to chapter 4, then press right, in the lower-left of the screen you'll see a highlighted bat.Press play for 2 deleted scenes.

Eye Candy: Florida Bolken, Anita Strindberg; various extras show boobs and butts

In London, Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) lives in a fancy building with her husband Frank Hammond (Jean Sorel) and her stepdaughter Joan Hammond (Edy Gall). Carol is the beloved daughter of the wealthy and prominent lawyer and politician Edmond Brighton (Leo Genn) and Frank is his partner in his office and has a love affair with Deborah (Silvia Monti). Carol's next door neighbor Julia Durer (Anita Strindberg) is a depraved woman that promotes parties with drugs and orgies. Carol has psychoanalyze sessions with Dr. Kerr (George Rigaud) and is intrigued with a nightmare where she stabs Julia to death three times with a couple watching the murder. When Julia is found dead in her apartment, the efficient Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker) and his partner Sgt. Brandon (Alberto de Mendoza) are assigned to investigate. All the evidences point out to Carol, but was a dream or reality?

"Una lucertola con la pelle di donna", a.k.a "A Lizard in Woman's Skin", is a great giallo by Lucio Fulci. The story is complex with many twists and there are many suspects that might have killed Julia Durer. The conclusion is exceptional, with Inspector Corvin solving the case. Florinda Bolkan has great performance and is extremely elegant. The graphic dog scene is impressive and was necessary to prove in court that it was the work of the special effects. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Lagartixa num Corpo de Mulher" ("A Gecko in a Woman's Body")

Note: On 09 June 2020 I saw this film again.

Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a very solid giallo but not the best from him. Working with a decent script and some solid actors, Fulci creates a truly bizarre mood with some nifty visuals and makes for quite a unique viewing experience. The hallucinations/dream sequences are well done, creepy and suspenseful and set the tone for an original mystery that unfolds mostly well and peppered with some solid set pieces along the way, two of which involve mutilated dogs and an array of nasty bats.

Fulci is a talented giallo filmmaker, his films Seven Notes in Black (aka The Psychic) and particularly Don't Torture a Duckling show he can effortlessly handle murder mysteries with relatively straight forward narratives and create much suspense without his trademark gore set pieces that characterized his later nonsensical Gothic horror films. In most respects; Lizard is a simple murder mystery laced with dreamlike visuals and is made out to be more complicated than it actually turns out to be. It's well written and constantly keeps the viewer guessing up until the very end. The conclusion not only makes sense but is wholly satisfying and makes the viewer want to return to the film in the near future. Also, it's quite sexy, with regular giallo femme Anita Strindberg showing off her goods.

At only 90 plus minutes the film somehow seems a bit overlong. Some scenes feel rather long winded and overly stretched. Supporting actors are rather lame and the English dub is not very good.

Overall Lizard is an interesting movie which just shows even further that Fulci should have stayed mostly within the thriller genre. Argento he's not but a very good giallo filmmaker nonetheless.

"Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is part giallo whodunit, part striking, hallucinatory nightmare. Only one of these parts in successful.

Those who have had to suffer through some of Fulci's later garbage such as "City of the Living Dead", "Manhattan Baby" or "The Beyond" might be surprised to find that he could actually direct. The dream sequences are filled with startling imagery made all the more striking for their auteurism. Who could forget the dissected canines? Even the giallo parts, the "real" aspect of the movie, feature inventive camera angles that take you by surprise.

But when the movie leaves the dreams behind, as it must, we are left with a not terribly interesting mystery. I didn't much care who did it, and the ending scenes, where we are supposed to be surprised, and kept guessing, by sudden revelations, felt needlessly drawn out and tiresome.

Who did do it? I wasn't paying attention.

The movie has some nudity, and a stabbing during a lesbian liaison. We only see the stabbing, not the bit before.

When people think of Lucio Fulci, it's always his gorier and largely incoherent efforts that spring to mind. Films like Zombie Flesh-Eaters and The Beyond, which are most definitely good films if you like that sort of thing (as I certainly do!); but they don't adequately portray the man's talent. If you want to see the 'great' Fulci films, you need to go back to his Giallo days with films like Don't Torture a Duckling and indeed this film; A Lizard in Woman's Skin. Fulci's first Giallo is a trippy thriller that excellently captures the laid back style of the swinging sixties and blends it magnificently with the thrilling pace that has gone on to epitomise the Italian thriller. The film follows a young woman (Florinda Bolkan) who dreams that she is having orgies with a hippy woman that lives downstairs. Events take a turn for the worse when the young woman dreams that she's killed the hippy, who then turns up dead; brutally murdered in her apartment, in exactly the way that the woman dreamt...

While this film isn't as brutal as some of the later Giallo efforts, Fulci succeeds in creating a foreboding atmosphere and manages to keep his audience on the edge of their seats. The plot line is rather strange, and Fulci makes best use of this through an excellent Ennio Morricone score, which firmly instills the trippy atmosphere in the viewers mind. The Giallo has come to be synonymous with brutal murders and lots of gore but, ironically, Fulci keeps his murders down a minimum and some of them even happen off screen. This is both a good and a bad thing as I, personally, like seeing brutal murders in Giallo's; but on the other hand it allows Fulci to keep the focus firmly on the central murder and he doesn't get sidetracked with lots of blood and gore, which does the film itself lots of favours. The mystery boils down to an excellent ending, in which the film is tied up nicely and we are treated to a great twist and some first rate detective work from the detective on the case. Highly recommended viewing and a must for Giallo fans!

I've tried to like cult director Lucio Fulci's films, I really have. I've seen his 80s gore 'classics' (House By The Cemetery, The Beyond, Zombi 2, City of the Living Dead, The New York Ripper), his later splatter films (Cat In The Brain, Touch of Death) and his one brief foray into crime thriller territory (Contraband); none of them have really impressed me. Now I'm giving his giallos a go; they're supposed to be good, aren't they?

Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a trippy hippy early-70s thriller which sees a woman accused of murdering her promiscuous neighbour. In typical giallo fashion, nothing is quite as it seems, until the final scene when the truth is divulged. Once again I believe that I am destined never to be a Fulci fan, finding the film rather dull and extremely dated.

With only a couple of murders, which take place off-screen. and plenty of scenes depicting boring police procedure, Lizard in a Woman's Skin is yet another disappointment from the Italian 'godfather of gore'.

In true Fulci fashion, the film manages to shock (most notably with a scene featuring several dissected, but still living, dogs; with their bloody organs and guts on display, these whining canines are very effective and are the highlight of the film), but it also bores.

And even when Fulci manages to occasionally impress, his hard work is blown with some truly awful moments. For example, during a chase scene in which a woman is pursued through a church by a knife wielding maniac, the tension so carefully built up by the director is quickly dissipated when the woman reveals her momentary hiding place—by resting on a switch which activates a huge church organ. And not much later she gives herself away again by screaming at the body of a dead bat. Duh!

I'm going to give Lucio one last chance at impressing me with Don't torture A Duckling, another of his giallos. I'm not expecting it to be great though!

Although Lucio Fulci is most famous for the atmospheric and very gory series of zombie movies he made in the late 70's and early 80's, this early 70's giallo might very well be his best film. It has all the strengths of Fulci's best work--great cinematography, brilliant editing, and a powerful sense of atmosphere (although the decadent, garish portrait he creates here of "Swinging London" is quite distinct from oozing sense of dread he conjures up in the rural American settings of his zombie films). This movie, however, has two things his zombie films do not have: first, a script that is both genuinely suspenseful and that actually makes sense (rather than merely functioning as a means to tie various interesting scenes together), and, second, Florinda Balkan. It is hard to describe how good Balkan is here, but if you've seen her in "Flavia, the Heretic" or in the supporting role she plays in another excellent Fulci giallo "Don't Torture a Duckling" you'll know what I mean. There is some decent acting in many of the later Fulci movies, but nothing like Balkan's performance in this and in "Duckling".

And if you're the typical Fulci fan seeking a heavy dosage of blood and gore, you won't be disappointed. This movie offers a bat attack similar to the one he later did in "House by the Cemetery" which is less bloody, but much more realistic as it accomplished through clever editing rather than phony prosthetics. Then there is the scene with a half-dissected (but still living)dog which actually landed Fulci in court for animal cruelty! (Don't worry--it wasn't a real dog). Hopefully, when this movie comes out on (legitimate) DVD that scene will be restored to its full power, and this excellent movie will be appreciated for what it truly is--Fulci's best movie.

Trippy psychothriller about a rich housewife who has erotic dreams about her neighbor. When one of these dreams turns violent, she wakes up the next day to find out that her neighbor had been killed and she's the lead suspect. It's a race against time to find out the true identity of the killer and prove her innocence before her fate is sealed.

As wild as A Lizard in A Woman's Skin is, it's fairly restrained for a Fulci film. None of his trademark zombies or eye popping gore are on display here and the script is tighter and more involving than some of his other films. It's definitely one of his more accessible films, but the slow pacing and trippy quality of some of the scenes might turn more mainstream viewers off.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Lucio Fulci made better giallos than Dario Argento. I'm sorry, but this early classic is truly stunning. From the opening scene in the train, to the final twist at the end, it will leave your arm hairs standing at attention.

It's gory, it's thrilling, it's creepy and it's moody. It absolutely captures the early 70's psychedelic 'thing' without being cheesy. It's basically a psychological study of a woman who seems deeply troubled but, then again, may just be delusional. Until the end, we really have no idea which is the case, but when we find out, we're surprised. The plot is genius.

"A Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is a true must-see for giallo fans. It's a recommended-see for horror fans. It's a probably-should-see for gore fans. And it's a better-be-on-your-shelf for Fulci fans. Classic movie fans and critics? Stay away. This is a film that you were not born to GET and you shouldn't attempt to.

By the way, my favorite Ennio Morricone soundtrack second only to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." 9 out of 10, kids.

This was a film that I heard about, mostly because I enjoy films from Lucio Fulci, but also because giallo films tend to have interesting titles. This one really does fall into that category for sure. I didn't know a lot about it aside from that, as I've avoided films that did walkthrough reviews or spoilers. I do have to thank Duncan from the TPUTS Collective, as there was a selection of the Where to Begin With Series and made me watch ahead of my schedule. The synopsis is the potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.

Now this is an interesting film for sure. We start off with Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) trapped on what appears to be a train. It shifts over to a dark room with a bed and on it is Julia Durer (Anita Strindberg). She is not fully dressed and her breasts are exposed. It then shifts to both her and Carol naked. We're then taken to Carol while she is in psychotherapy with Dr. Kerr (George Rigaud) who is analyzing this dream. I took this as Carol has having lesbian feelings toward Julia, but Dr. Kerr gives his views which have to do with repression and wanting to be more free like her. I do feel this applies as well.

Carol is married to Frank (Jean Sorel). I do believe he has a daughter Joan (Ely Galleani). What throws me off here is that Frank doesn't look old enough to have a daughter this young, but I digress. Frank works with Carol's father, Edmond Brighton (Leo Genn). Through a scene at dinner where Carol, Joan, Frank, his secretary Deborah (Silvia Monti) and Edmond, we hear that Julia is having a loud party. This really bothers Carol and her father. As Edmond goes to leave, he notices a car outside that is painted flashy.

In the office the next day, Edmond gets a phone call and as Frank is leaving, asks if he has been unfaithful to his daughter. He laughs off the accusation and leaves. It is storming that night and we see that he is in fact cheating on her with someone. That night, Carol has another vivid dream where she murders Julia. We also get an odd image of Jenny (Penny Brown) and Hubert (Mike Kennedy) who are watching from a balcony. Their eyes are white and it should be pointed out they're hippies.

It then turns out that Julia has been murdered. Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker) is in charge of this investigation. Carol is freaked out by the news, as the evidence points to her dream and her being the prime suspect. There's a lot more to this story that will draw everyone in as some people have things to hide and it begs the question, who did kill Julia?

Having now watched this film, I have to say, this doesn't necessarily fit into what I expect from Fulci. I don't mean that in a bad way by any stretch, because I could argue this is proof that he's a great filmmaker for sure. My other thing is that when it comes to a giallo film, if I can't guess the ending, I'm happy. That applies here.

This is an interesting film in the red herrings make sense and even though I know when they make something obvious, it isn't the answer. This movie plays with that and still got me like I said. To start off with, I liked our lead in Carol. My immediate thoughts with her are that she is sexually repressed. She has lesbian urges toward Julia, but with society and her standing, she denies them which cause her dreams to be as they are. There's a reveal with her later in the movie, which was quite interesting with the evidence we are given.

There's also Frank, her husband. I don't like him as he's having an affair. I picked up the idea that Carol in her repression isn't meeting his needs. It is hard to fully hate him, as I feel the time period it was a bit more socially acceptable to have a mistress, especially where it is taking place. Regardless, I'm not a fan. I do like that he kind of becomes the main character, as the heat turns to him as evidence gets revealed.

We also have the interesting cast of characters of Jenny, Hubert and Joan. I've already said that Joan looks to be a bit too old to be the daughter of Frank, plus there's this odd interactions between them. It is possible though, as there's a gap of 19 years. Joan actually knows these two hippies and there's an interesting angle where Hubert admits to the crime, but it doesn't turn out to be possible. He and Jenny though still know something. I also like that the title of the movie is stated by Hubert and it makes a lot of sense why as it involves drugs.

That will take me to the pacing of the movie, which I have to say was just fine. The movie runs 95 minutes and I don't have a problem there. The movie never gets boring, despite there's really only one death and that is Julia. Sorry if that is a spoiler, but that's not to say that things do not happen. We get hallucinations from Carol as well as there is someone chasing after her to kill her. That really helps to the drive the tension when it is needed and the story keeps it from getting boring. Much like many giallo films, the ending is abrupt as we're given the explanation, but it fits for how the story plays out.

I really should go to the acting next. I thought that Bolkan was really good as the lead here. She plays this character so well that without it being explained until the end, I was picking up different things about her character. I'm impressed if you can do that. Plus she's easy on the eyes if I'm honest. Sorel is also really good. I like how the focus of the movie shifts from Carol to him as he becomes a suspect. I like that the police are doing their investigation, but Frank is doing his own as he is the suspect, falling into that troupe of non-cops doing investigation. Baker is good as the detective. I like that he's not an idiot and is actually the one who solves the case if memory serves. I'd say that Monti, Brown, Kennedy, Galleani and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.

Despite this not being as graphic as I'm used to from a Fulci film that is not to say there aren't good effects. I liked the extreme close-up of Julia's death as we see the knife go into something. The blood is a bit bright, but being from the 70's, I have a soft spot there. I also think that the dream sequences feel like a dream, so credit there. There's also this odd scene with dogs and them being cut open. I'm not entirely sure what is going on there, but it looks great and freaked me out. The cinematography is very well done, but I come to expect that.

The last thing to cover would be the soundtrack here. I think that we do a really good job with the music and again, I knew it would be when I saw Enio Morricone was listed in the beginning. There's a jazz feel to the film if memory serves and it just fits for what they're going to do. It has a dark feel, even though it isn't as eerie as other music. It just fits and even though I'm a bit biased, I would probably add this to the music I listen to while writing.

So with that said, I really enjoyed this movie. It has a story that I didn't see the ending coming as the curves and swerves we get give you the answer, but give red herrings as to who it could be as well. I think that is master filmmaking to be honest as the story isn't the most complex. There is some subtext though that I thought fit. The acting is really good as well. It is paced in a way where I never get bored, despite not a lot necessarily going on. The soundtrack and the effects were solid as well. Overall I'd say this is really good movie and could go up with another viewing now that I know how things play out.

My Rating: 8.5/10

O goody, Anita Strindberg (Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Women in Cellblock 7, The Eroticist) is back as a wild partier next door to Carol (Florinda Bolkan). Carol keeps dreaming of being ravished by her neighbor.

However she wants to be ravished, she is torn and kills her in the next dream. She is, of course, a suspect when her neighbor turns up dead the next day.

Nice touch with the bats in the belfry. If Carol wasn't crazy before, she certainly would be after that scene.

As is usual in Giallo, there is always a twist at the end when elaborate plans are revealed and mistakes found.

Great Fulci thriller.

As I say it in the title, the movie is really nicely edited a put together. There is some interesting imagery and symbolism, but you quickly ask yourself what good is any of that if the story is boring as ever. The premise is interesting, yes. But it soon gets to you that you don't really care for any of the characters, that the main character is boring, dumb (in one chase scene she constantly screams, trips, screams like an idiot and in that way reveals her position) and not very lovable. Rest of the characters are also very generic, all up to to classic inspector which intuition and intelligence surpasses all members of his department combined. It is sad that it had to go this way, but I guess we should be glad we got a nice looking Fulci movie, if nothing else. "Don't Torture a Ducking" is a far better Fulci movie, along with "Psychic". One thing that is very good in this movie is Ennio Morricone's music, but that can't carry the whole movie. I give it 5.8/10. I didn't enjoy it, and for that reason, I can't recommend it to anyone. Sorry fans of Fulci's movies!

This was quite entertaining, kept you interested and guessing. I got it wrong a couple times. It has a bit of everything in it, great camera work, stunning set pieces, suspense, nudity. The dog scene is quite disturbing for an early era effect, and better than CGI. Stanley Baker does a great job as the inspector, and bears a striking resemblance to Sean Connery in Diamonds are forever. After the James Bond series, my next favorites are these Italian giallo's. They are vastly superior to U.S slasher flicks.

This film is gorgeous! The lighting, the shot, the locations... it's fantastic to look at! The acting is done well, and the story unfolds in a rather unconventional manner.

That being said, some scenes overstay their welcome. I wish it had tighter pacing. It doesn't end with a bang which I admired but also disappointed me.

Of note, this marks the beginning of Fulci's love affair with bats. You've been warned ;)

(Second review: pertains to the recent DVD release that clocks in at 103 minutes--allegedly the most complete version available.)

To those--such as myself--who were weaned on Lucio Fulci's post-"Zombie" gorefests, looking back at his earlier work can be a jarring experience. Films like "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "The Psychic" show a filmmaker bringing a sense of macabre mystery to the mainstream; the same can be said for "Lizard in a Woman's Skin," his first foray into the 'giallo' subgenre...though the result is terribly disappointing.

It's hard to ignore the cue Fulci takes from Dario Argento, making an animal-themed (and relatively restrained) film in the footsteps of "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage." There are glimpses of the frenetic (almost invasive) camera tricks and stylistic techniques Fulci would mine with more confidence (and effect) in his gritty horror outings. While he stages an impressive extended chase through Alexandra Palace (beginning in the underground tunnels and finishing on the rooftop), piques our interest with a smattering of sex, violence, and psychedelics at the very beginning, and gives us a dog-vivisection dream sequence that foreshadows his later work (and is still gruesomely effective today), what lies in between is talky and largely uninteresting.

The plot is simple enough: Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan--"Don't Torture a Duckling"), daughter of a prominent politician in Great Britain, is afflicted with strange hallucinations that literally bleed over into reality when her next-door neighbor, Julia Durer (sexy Anita Strindberg) is stabbed to death. Meanwhile, Carol's husband Frank (Jean Sorel) is carrying on an affair with a family friend, and Carol's daughter-in-law, Joan (Edy Gall) is somehow involved with a bunch of hippie types who know something about the murder.

I consider Fulci's "Don't Torture a Duckling" one of the finer examples of a giallo done right--it wasn't so heavily stylized that it detracted from character or story, and at times invoked a sense of realism-through-restraint. "Lizard" is almost the total opposite--the characters tend to become dancing puppets within a plot that's constantly twisting itself into a pretzel; indeed, much like Argento's style-drenched films, the best method of viewing is to just drink in the look and feel of things, and wait for the inevitable Closing Revelation, in which all the convoluted plot points are explained. Yet "Lizard"--save for its experimental, color-soaked LSD scenes--isn't even that much fun to watch; taking place in a perpetually gloomy Britain, one feels Fulci stretching for legitimacy and falling short. The dialog scenes are endless to the point of tedium, and produce more confusion than intrigue.

In short, "Lizard" is required viewing for the Fulci completist, but otherwise not worth the bother.